Apparatus for unsoldering the joints of sheet-metal cans.



v No. 784,856. PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.

S. K. GREEN. APPARATUS FOR UNSOLDERING THE JOINTS 0F SHEET METAL CANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1904 2 SHEETS-SHEET l No. 784,856. PATENTEDMAR. 14, 1905.

s. K. GREEN. APPARATUS FOR UNSOLDERING THE JOINTS 0F SHEET METAL CANS.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 16, 1904- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES .Eatented March 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR UNSOLDERING THE JOINTS 0F SHEET-METAL CANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,856, dated March14, 1905.

Application filed June 16,1904. Serial No. 212,763.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY K. GREEN, of the city of Baltimore and Stateof Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus forUnsoldering the Joints of Sheet- Metal Cans, of which the following is aspecification. I

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class ofapparatus for the abovenamed purpose in which waste sheet-metal canshaving soldered .joints are subjected to the action of flame for thedouble purpose of opening the soldered joints in order that the bodies,and in some cases the heads, may be utilized in the manufacture ofvarious articles and the recovery of the solder which falls from thecans during the heating operation.

The said invention consists in part in providing the apparatus withreticulated holders in which the soldered cans are carried through aflame of suflicient heat to melt the solder in the joints and allow itto escape to a suitable receiver, as will hereinafter fully appear.

In the further description of the said in vention which followsreference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming .a part hereof,in which 4 Figure 1 is a partly-sectional side elevation of the improvedapparatus,and Fig. 2 a partlysectional plan of the same.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is the frame of the machine, which maybe of any suitable description.

2 and 3 are sprocket-wheels secured to shafts 4 and 5, respectivelysupported in bearings from the frame 1. The shaft 4 is the driver, andin order to adapt it for that purpose it is provided with adriving-pulley 7. The driving-belt (denoted by 9) is represented in Fig.1 by a dotted line.

10 10 are endless sprocket-chains extending over the sprocket-wheels 2and 3.

12 12 are the reticulated holders for the cans ferred that thereticulated can-holders in passing from the feeding end of the apparatusv should ascend an incline until they reach a certain height and thenmove in a horizontal plane before reaching the discharge end of themachine. To effect this result, the reticulated holders are providedwith transverse bars 14, which rest on and traverse angular guiderails15, supported by the frame 1, as shown particularly in Fig. 2.

17 17 are burners, shown as supplied with gas through the feed-pipe 19and with air through the pipe 21 from the blower 20. The blower isdriven directly from the shaft 22 through the medium of the pulleys 23and 2 1 and indirectly from the idle sprocket-wheel shaft 25 through themedium of the pulleys 27 and 29. While I have described burners wherebyan intense heat is produced by the commingling of gas and air, I do notlimit myself to that description of burners, as other burners adapted toheat or thoroughly envelop one or more of the reticulated holders 12 andtheir contents with flame as the holders pass in the direction indicatedby the arrow in Fig. 1 along the horizontal portion of the guiderails 14may be employed.

30 is a hood to prevent the escape of and concentrate the heatedproducts of combustion within and around the reticulated holders. Thesaid hood is shown in section in Fig. 1 and partly in section in Fig 2.

In constructing the reticulated holders or baskets 12 I employ large oropen mesh wirework, which practically offers no obstruction to thedirect passage of flame or heat to the cans.

In the manufacture of tin-plate cans the assembling of the heads andbodies invariably places the said parts under some slight tension, andin almost all cases when the solder is liquefied the tension causes theopening of the seams without the application of mechanical means forthat purpose. I am aware that in can-soldering machines it is common toconvey cans by means of holders from one point to another and in theirpassage to subject the parts of the cans to be united by solder to theaction of flames and that waste tin-plate scraps have been placed in acrate and the whole dipped into a heating medium to remove the tincoating; but I am not aware that before the present invention wastetin-plate cans have been conveyed througha hood by means I ported by thesaid guide-rails, Substantially of reticulated holders attached toendless sprocket-chains and enveloped during their passage by a flamewhich has access to the cans V in the holders for the purpose of meltingthe solder in the seams and the heated cans, from the seams of which thesolder has been melted, dropped suddenly to dislodge the heads from thebodies.

The reticulated holders or baskets are made large enough to hold severalcans, and in filling the baskets at the entrance end of the machine thecans are placed therein indiscriminately or without regard to size ortheir position with respect to the baskets, as shown to the right ofFig. 1. The solder as melted from the seams of the cans flows by gravityfrom the reticulated holders and may be caught by any suitablereceptacle arranged for the purpose of collecting it. In Fig. 1 I haveshown a tray (denoted by 35) as well adapted for the purpose.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an apparatus for detaching the heads fromthe bodies of waste sheet-metal cans, the combination of two sets ofsprocket-wheels carrying endless sprocket-chains, a series ofreticulated holders secured to the said chains, a burner so situated asto project flame and heat around and into the reticulated holders as thesame are moved by the said chains, substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for detaching the heads from the bodies of wastesheet-metal cans, the combination of two sets of sprocket-wheelscarrying endless sprocket-chains, a series of reticulated holders forthe cans, transverse bars situated under the said reticulated holdersand secured to the said chains and reticulated holders, guide-railswhereby the upper runs of the said chains are supported, and bu rnerssituated between the said guide-rails, and under the reticulated holderswhich at the time are supas specified.

3. In an apparatus for detaching the heads from the bodies of wastesheet-metal cans, the combination of two sets of sprocket-wheelscarrying endless chains and transverse bars, a series of reticulatedholders connected to and placed over the said transverse bars,guide-rails to support a portion of the upper runs of the said chainstogether with the reticulated holders and the transverse bars attachedthereto, and burners situated on a lower plane than the transverse barsadapted to project flames which envelop and enter the said reticulatedholders supported by the said guide-rails, and a hood through which thereticulated holders are carried while the same are subjected to theaction of flame, substantially as specified.

4. In an apparatus for detaching the heads from the bodies ofwastesheet-metal cans, the combination of a frame, sprocket-wheels situatedand supported at the entrance and delivery ends of the frame, thesprocket-wheels at the entrance end beingon a lower plane than those atthe delivery end, a pair of guide-rails which begin at the entrance endof the machine and extend in an incline position to a certain height,and then extend in a horizontal plane to the delivery end of themachine, sprocket-chains supported by the sprocket-wheels and providedwith transverse. bars Which rest on the guide-rails, holders for thecans, gas-burners situated beneath the path of the upper runs ofsprocket-chains, adapted to project flame toward and so envelop theholders supported by the horizontal portion of the guide-railssubstantially as specified.

STANLEY K. GREEN.

Witnesses:

OREGON MILTON DENNIS, \V M. T. HOWARD.

